Is This Real
by Sstarshine
Summary: (Agencyshipping) Another story about what happened after Black returned from the Light Stone. How would White treat him after they hadn't seen each other for two years?
1. Daily Routine

**I read a lot of stuff about how Black and White would treat each other after Black returned. I've had this idea for a while, now I think I'm gonna do it. Enjoy!**

 **Focus: Agencyshipping.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokéspe.**

* * *

Black just woke up from his sound sleep. He still lay on his bed and looked around his own room. Everything still looked the same, as if nothing had changed in the last two years.

Yeah… two years… he spent two years of his life in a stone for absolutely no reason. He almost didn't have any consciousness in such period because it was like his body just flowed in infinite and borderless dimension of space and time. The only thing he remembered from those days was that he sometimes regained his memory about important things in his _previous life_ \- well, because he thought he was dead – an oath, an evil gang, and a female silhouette.

As a result of no movement being made when he was trapped in the stone, it was completely understandable that Black's body was weak. He could only walk very slowly and hold very small things. He also had difficulty in talking. He guessed it took time for his body to find balance again.

And now here he was – Nuvema Town - where everything began. It had been a week since Black returned to human shape. He regained his talking ability, but his body needed more time to fully function. Black didn't want to leave the bed yet. He wanted to stay a little more to enjoy the peace of an early morning before _she_ came.

Speaking of _she_ …

She was the most sorrowful girl in the world when he, her best friend, disappeared right before her own eyes. She was the one that spent endless time and effort searching for him. And finally when he was back, she was also the only girl in the world that cared for him that much. Her ocean blue eyes told Black everything when he looked at them. From the moment she brought him home on her own when he was released (she was so strong), she told him that…

 _"_ _Black, how are you feeling?"_

 _"_ _I… I'm ri… alrigh… Pre… you… been… ask-ing… that… all the… way here," Black answered with difficulty, but he still had that usual grin on his face, which made White smile at him._

 _"_ _Well I suppose it can't be helped. It's been too long."_

 _"_ _Yeah…"_

 _White set Black on his bed and made sure he was sitting and leaning well. Then she sat next to him and looked into his eyes. Black did the same to her._

 _Suddenly she hugged him tight. Black groaned a little due to the pain, but he regretted it immediately because the pain was suppressed by the most pleasant feeling to him. Anyway, she just broke the hug very quickly._

 _"_ _I'm sorry Black. I didn't mean to hurt you." White sobbed a little._

 _"_ _Oh… oh… don… ry… cry… Pre… I… want… you… to… smile… just… like… me… I'm… smil-ing… for… you."_

 _Black tried to reach her face with his hand and gently wiped her tears, only to be grabbed by hers so tightly. He was surprised again but very touched by her lovely gesture._

 _"_ _I just want to make sure this is real… I mean… you are real." White explained with a blush on her cheeks._

 _"_ _I… am… real." Black ensured and he blushed too. Then they both laughed a little, and White changed the topic._

White told Black that she volunteered to come over to check on him many times every day, which Black tried his best to refuse but failed. He insisted he wouldn't die (got slapped on the face by White and was apologized right away) or disappear again, and he couldn't ignore the fact that she was so busy with her agency work. But to no avail, White said she was well aware of it, and moreover she told him she did know what the more important thing was. Therefore everyday, White would come over at least 5 times, with a record of 12 times a day. She told him with pride in her eyes that she tried her best to visit him every time she had a break, which made Black very happy and guilty at the same time. She also brought him foods and snacks and even offered to spoon-feed him, which he declined immediately.

Black was very happy about the way White cared for him. She always tried to cheer him up. She told him all sorts of things, including ones he missed in those two years. She gave him her lovely smiles everytime they talked. He felt like he was the luckiest person in Unova. But deep inside, Black still spotted some sadness in her eyes. Sometimes the way she looked at him was horrifying, as if she was looking at a monster. Black knew for sure she was afraid that he would disappear again, but was it necessary to worry about such thing so much? Black still remembered in their journey together, sometimes White was so happy that she grabbed his hands (and, of course, that short reunion after beating the bastard Ghetsis). From the day he returned, White had this new habit: she would hug him and grab his hands all of a sudden (he didn't mind at all though) and release them right after that, but what troubled him was that she wasn't really relieved after she had done such things to him.

This morning Black asked Cheren to come over after White left. This would be the first time they had a real chance to talk to each other. Black was eager to see his childhood friend again. He decided to get up and went to the bathroom. After his morning routine was done, he heard a familiar knock.

"Coming, Prez!"

* * *

 _(to be continued)_


	2. New Habit

**This chapter is a little bit short, I'm sorry it can't be helped XD**

* * *

"Coming, Prez!"

Black slowly walked towards the door and prepared himself for it. The one that always made his day usually came very early in the morning.

"Good morning, Black."

White said with a big smile and gave him a warm hug. Black returned her hug and took his time to sniff the sweet scent of her early morning hair. She let him go after a few seconds with a light blush on her face.

"Good morning, Prez." He grinned. "And what's that?" Black pointed at the basket on her hand.

"Look, I made breakfast for you." White put her basket on the table and opened it, revealing a couple of sandwiches. "Omelette, no cheese, more salt and ketchup, your favorite."

Black took a moment to think when exactly he told her about his favorite sandwich. Or did he even have one? There were a lot of things about the past that he couldn't remember due to the large memory gap during two years.

"Oh, are you wondering how I know about that? You told me that day when we were in Striaton Restaurant, right before you have your triple gym battle," White said with a blink.

"I don't know you can read people's thoughts," Black commented. Deep inside, he was so surprised how the heck she could still remember that, but he was moved by it. "Thanks a lot, Prez. Did you have to wake up so early just to make this for me?"

"What do you mean by _'just to make this for you'_? You really think I cooked so badly?" She raised her eyebrows in a typical White-way.

"What? No! I mean… you already have a lot to worry about. I'm sorry if I make you…"

"Ahhhhhh… I'm the one to say sorry… Come on, don't worry about it, it's the least I can do for you now." White interrupted him and unconsciously grabbed his hands, but she let them go when she realized what she was doing.

"Uhhhh… then… go try it. It's still warm I guess."

White took out the sandwich and gave Black, then she sat next to him and watched him with a curious look.

"Nom nom… hmmmm… wow, this is too good Prez."

"You always have to be so surprised?" White teased, but she looked quite happy.

"Well, it doesn't look like the Prez I know," Black answered with a mouthful.

"Then get used to it, I'm gonna take care of you forever."

What did he just hear? Did she just say it, for-ever? And did she mean it, or was it just an expression? Anyway, White remained completely silent until Black finished his breakfast. Then she helped clean the falling pieces of bread on the table and the floor.

"I may be busy the whole morning so I will see you in the afternoon. If you need anything, just call me, ok?" White said when she was about to step outside.

"When will I be able to go out and help you with your work again, just like we did in the past?" Black asked hopefully because he was tired of staying at home the whole time.

"When I think you are ready."

Upon saying this, her eyes were filled with some sort of sadness again. Black cringed as he had no idea whether he just said something stupid. He thought the idea of helping White would cheer her up, but it didn't.

And she hugged him again. This time it was tighter and also longer than the last one. Black imagined he might have heard a little sob when she hugged him. But she quickly adjusted herself and said:

"See you later, Black."

"See ya, Prez."

Black stood at the door and looked at her silhouette until it got smaller and finally disappeared at the corner.

* * *

 _(to be continued)_


	3. No Stones Get Unturned When- Wait, What?

**I have received a number of reviews and I appreciate them a lot!**

 **Here comes part 3 out of 4. Hope you enjoy it XD**

* * *

"What do you mean by saying she's not happy? Did you even see her face when you came out of the stone? That moment, it was like you were the only one that existed to her."

"…"

"She barely let us touch you. After the doctor had done the examination, she insisted she bring you home alone. No one said anything. Did you forget it?"

No, Black never forgot. He just couldn't explain it to Cheren. But Cheren just waved his hand in patience.

"Alright, Black. Let me ask you this: Does she seem like she wants to leave you everytime she comes?"

"Of course not. What's the point of visiting me a thousand times a day if she doesn't want to come in the first place? What matters is sometimes she has that sorrowful look in her eyes, and suddenly behaves weirdly."

"Such as?"

"Such as…"

Black couldn't describe it to Cheren because it was a little… personal, so he hesitated for a few seconds.

Fortunately, Cheren said, "Ok, ok. I don't need to know. But I can guess. Girls do that all the time when they are scared."

"Of what?"

"Of whatever. You know, the first week after you disappeared two years ago, Bianca often rushed into my house just to give me a tearful conversation and crushed me with her hugs."

"Really?" Black asked with surprise.

"Yeah. It was understandable. However, things could get worse if she couldn't get anyone to pour her heart out to. And I guess White didn't share her problems with anyone in the last two years."

"Holy shit!"

That completely summarized the terrible emotions he imagined White would experience if she had no one she trusted to unburden herself to. Black tore his hair out in desperation as he tried to put himself in her place.

"There may be another possibility." Cheren continued.

"What?"

"Maybe she is feeling guilty."

"Why should she feel guilty?"

Cheren was getting impatient because Black kept asking him those short questions without even thinking.

"Come on, Black, use your head. There may be a lot of things she could feel guilty about. You must realize it so you can make her feel better."

Black buried his face between his hands. He tried so hard to think about every possibility, but he couldn't figure out anything.

"I give up."

"Jeez. Then I will tell you. First, she may feel guilty because she couldn't catch the light stone before it flew away."

"How the heck do I know what happened if I was sucked in the light stone before that?"

"Oops… I'm sorry, I forgot it." Cheren grinned at a frowning Black. "Anyway, she may be thinking that you wasted two years of your life was her fault."

"We talked about this already. I told her it was never her fault. It was that bastard Ghetsis who had to pay for it. Without her endless effort, I wouldn't be here talking to you now."

"Right, then. Number two: She may think that if she hadn't dragged you along in the first place, you wouldn't have ended up like that."

…

"That's selfish, Cheren."

"Alright, alright, it's just a personal theory…"

"Don't you think of Prez like that!" Black yelled at Cheren.

"Alriiiight. I'm sorry. I'm just trying to help."

"Never mind."

Black couldn't stay mad at Cheren for so long because he also knew that Cheren was only trying to help.

"One last possibility - she doesn't want to lose you again," said Cheren with utter certainty.

"Well it's kinda obvious. I've already told her that I wouldn't die or disappear again. She shouldn't worry about it that much."

"In fact, she should, imagine she lived with those feelings for the last two years. That might be the biggest fear she is having at the moment."

"But I've already…"

"Those are never enough. You need to say or do something more to make sure she will never worry about it again."

Black took a moment to think about what Cheren just said. It seemed clearer to him now. How could he ever underestimate the pain she had been suffering? He knew he always wanted the best for her, but his best was just not enough.

"I will… consider it," said Black.

"I hope it works. Wew, I should go now. Gym duty calls." Cheren looked at the time. "You know what, if you really worry about her, just tell her. I'm pretty sure she won't mind."

"Thanks… for everything, Cheren."

"You're most welcome, Black."

After Cheren left, Black lay on the couch in the living room and closed his eyes. He was thankful to Cheren for the conversation. Black tried to remember thoroughly what his friend said and thought about White. Never before did he realize she was so important to him. She was his boss, his best friend. But that was in the past. _Really? Then who is she to you?_ Black thought and smirked. _She's even more than a best friend,_ a voice popped in his head. Black thought he was really honest with himself. Their friendship was dangerously turning into something else, at least from his side.

Black's mind was no longer only filled with his dream of becoming a champion. Now it shared its space with another person. This also made Black difficult to think straight when he needed to, but he didn't want to get rid of it by using Musha's ability. Actually it made him feel easy, and Black was fast asleep on the couch with that dream he was having.

* * *

 _(to be continued)_


	4. No, This Is Real

**This is the last part of my story. I already decided that 4 will be the last chapter so I literally put everything here. Hope you like it!**

* * *

Black's sweet dream was stopped by some strange sounds in his house. He opened his eyes and tried to figure out what was going on. He realized he had slept at some point after Cheren left and was still lying on the couch in the living room. The sound came from the kitchen. _Burglar?_ He tiptoed to the kitchen and peeked around the corner. There Black saw one thing that he never thought it could ever happen.

White was in his kitchen and doing some cooking. She looked really capable and that made Black very surprised. She put a lot of things on the counter and handled all of them with swiftness. And more importantly, she even hummed softly to herself which could only mean she was really enjoying it.

Black stood transfixed for a minute until he thought he needed to come out. Black made a small sound to announce his appearance and not to startle his friend.

"Umm... hello?"

White stopped humming and turned to him. She gave him a smile and said,

"Oh, hi Black. How's your sleep?"

"Very nice. By the way, how did you enter the house?"

"Wew, for some reason the door wasn't locked. And after knocking for like an eternity, I just entered and found you sleeping. I didn't want to wake you up because it would interrupt your dream," said White with a mischievous smile.

"Wait, what do you mean?" asked a confused Black.

"Uh nothing. You just sleep-talked."

"What? Did I really sleep-talk? What did I say?"

"Not-gonna-tell-ya! But you looked quite happy, so I didn't want to crush your dream."

"Argh! You're doing my head in," Black screamed while White giggled. In the end, he decided to ignore it and changed the topic.

"So, what are these?" Black pointed at the things on the counter.

"I think you may be fed up with what I often bought from the eatery, so I will… uh… cook for you… I mean for us, because I haven't eaten yet." She explained with a heavy blush on her face.

"I will pretend that I'm not surprised," said Black with a serious face.

"Yes, you should. And you really need to start doing your research again, because there're a lot of things you don't know about me." White tried to keep her voice proud and serious as Black was about to laugh. But he didn't. He thought _this White_ in front of him was very interesting, and he shouldn't tease her at all.

"Alright, then tell me what to do, _boss_. I'm not gonna sit down and let you do everything."

"Ok, if you want to help. Could you wash those for me?"

And it happened. They were in the kitchen and did the cooking together. Mostly White did the important steps while Black helped with preparation steps. They had many conversations about trivial things and what Black enjoyed most was that he was being given lots of instructions which reminded him of their time when they worked together. Black just had a small wish that he could resume working for her agency soon. Moreover, Black felt relieved that he could delay the exploration of her emotions a little longer. He found it impossible to talk about this when she was this happy (although he wasn't sure he should talk about his when she was sad).

"Hey Prez, I think we should do this again sometimes. It's fun. But only if you have time. You're busy, I know that," said Black when he sat at the kitchen table and watched her stir a big pot of curry.

"If you want, we can do it every once in a while. Yeah, it's fun," she answered.

"When did you learn to cook? And I'm doing my research, just in case you think I'm not being serious." He added the later part so that she wouldn't snap at him.

Her hand stopped stirring for a split second before she answered, "About a year ago. Bianca invited me to a cooking class with her so that I could… uh… forget… things..."

 _Aw shucks, seriously?_ He wanted to avoid _that_ topic but it just came out of nowhere. How could one be wary of what he was saying all the time in such a normal situation?

"I'm done. Let's eat," she suddenly said, bringing him back to the reality. They sat at the small table and ate in silence.

 _Now, or never... No, anytime but now, that will be stupid... You are stupid, you delayed it when she was happy, now's the chance… Did you realize what you just said? If you do it wrong, she may snap… So exactly when are you gonna do it?... Jeez… I don't know…_

"Black, are you ok? Why don't you eat? It's not good?" White asked with a worried voice.

"No no, it's the best curry I've ever tasted. Really, Prez, I'm honest. I'm ok. Oh, look… ah… let me…"

Black took the napkin and reached for her face to clean a piece of curry on the corner of her lips.

"There you go." _What the heck am I doing right now?_

"Th… thanks," she said, being so surprised at what just happened and they both heavily blushed. Then they spent the rest of the meal in silence again. Black insisted he wash the dishes while she watched the TV before she had to go to work again. He tried to do it as fast as possible in order not to waste any precious time. He joined her in the living room after ten minutes and they had some fun watching the TV together.

It's almost 1 p.m. White looked at the time and sighed quietly. She stood up and stretched. It was like any other days, she had to work and Black didn't forget that. However, today had been such a special day and Black realized she had tried her best to cheer him up with different things she might have never done before. Just because it was special didn't mean it had to end like an ordinary day.

"I need to go now. I will see you at six, maybe seven," she said with a sad smile.

"Alright. Bye Prez," said Black.

"See ya."

And just when she was about to leave the house, Black couldn't help but grab her hand. He was even surprised at it. White turned to him with her brows raised and her head tilted.

"Prez… can you stay with me… just for today?"

"Wha…"

"I'm feeling a lot better today, and it has been an amazing day to me, thanks to you. I'm really tired of staying home everyday… alone. Cheren brought me some DVDs this morning, and I know you're very busy, but, just for this afternoon, would you like to stay and watch some movies with me?"

White stood still for a while. The peak of her cap covered her eyes and Black couldn't tell what she was thinking. He swore that if she said no, he wouldn't stop her.

"This is bad… this is bad," she mumbled. "Ughh should I do it?"

"Uh Prez, if it's not ok, then you don't have to…"

She let go of his hand and raised a finger to signal silence and Black kept his mouth shut immediately. Then she pressed a few buttons her Xtransceiver and made a call.

"Mr. Director, it's White speaking."

"Oh, Ms. White, how can I help you?" said the director.

"I'm… uh… a little bit dizzy at the moment. I think I got… food poisoning. I'm wondering if… this afternoon… could I…"

"Certainly, Ms. White. We can manage to get things done without you for a day. Please take care of yourself and get well soon."

"Thank you so much. Uh… Bye."

"Bye."

She sighed again and turn off her Xtransceiver. Black listened to the whole conversation and he was having a sly smile on his face.

"Wew that was easy," said Black.

White took off her cap and threw it at his face which made him yell and duck to dodge the hard part. She groaned in angry and moved towards him to attack.

"How[punch]-dare[punch]-you[punch]-make[punch]-fun[punch]-of[punch]-this?"

"Ah… Prez… ow… I'm not making… ouch… fun… ow… of you… ouch that HURTS."

"You'd better not… [kick] when I am lying… [kick] to my customer."

"Ro… roger that… ouch… I was just commending… your acting… ouch."

She threw herself to the couch and panted slightly. Black carefully approached the girl and sat next to her with a friendly smile. She gave him a furious glance that made his smile disappear.

"That's the first time I've ever lied to my customer," she said with a regretful sigh.

"And it's for me?"

"Well that's… glaringly obvious." She was still angry, but her cheeks slightly turned red when she answered.

"Well I promise you will never have to do it again. And… thanks, Prez. I'll make it worth."

She gave him one final glance and sniffed, it was when Black knew the girl had returned to her normal state. He grinned and took the bag that carried a dozen of DVDs which Cheren bought him.

"Well, I have almost everything here. Many of them are from the Pokéstar Studio… oops, I forgot you and the studio are one… How about movies from other regions? What genre do you wanna see? Do you like horror movie, there is _The Curse of The Deceased Marowak_ , it's a legend about a ghost in Kanto. Or do you like action movie, I have _The Karate Master_ starring a gym leader in Johto. Or comedy, that's… oh, a collection of stand-up comedy by the famous duo from Sinnoh. Wow, it's hard to pick one, isn't it? Prez, what do you want? Your call," said Black in one breath. Then he paused to look at White and awaited her answer.

White took her time to look at the discs. She said, "How about this, _Luvdisc's Blessing?_ I've had enough of pokémon battles, this should be nice."

 _Wait, what? Who put that thing in the bag? Must have been… Cheren! Why, he knows I never watch these cheesy movies._ "Sure, anything you want." _He definitely will pay for it._ "Let me get some snacks and water." _Chere-eeeeen!_

"Great!" White said and comfortably positioned herself in the couch. After everything was all set, they sat in front of the TV and watched the movie.

This movie turned out to be not as cheesy as Black thought. Though Black tried his best not to admit this, it was… pretty good. It was about a young girl who almost drowned when swimming in the sea but was saved by a young boy who happened to swim nearby. When he saved her, there happened to be a golden Luvdisc swimming around her to help him locate the sinking girl. 8 years later, the same boy, now became a nice guy, went to college and had a crush on a girl in his art group though he never told her. One day, the group went to the beach. When he was swimming, a Tentacool wrapped his feet and pulled him underneath the water. The girl who he had a crushed on managed to save him only to find him no longer breathing. She gave him artificial respiration but it didn't work. Desperately, she confessed her love to him and revealed that she was the same girl who he saved years ago. She had known it since the first moment she saw him again at college. Upon saying this, she caught a glimpse of a shiny Luvdisc far in the sea. The Luvdisc approached them and used Heal Pulse. With a glimmer of hope, she made her last attempt of artificial respiration. Miraculously, he started to cough and breathed again. He opened his eyes and saw his dream girl. They both confessed their love to each other and were about to k…

Black had enough of it. This movie was getting cheesy after all. Every movie ended like that. He didn't want to see it anymore so he closed his eyes. He only opened his eyes a little to peek at White who was still watching the scene. She didn't seem to be crying but her lips were slightly shivering.

A single tear rolled down her face as she quickly brushed it away and Black kept his head straight again immediately.

"I saw it," she smiled.

Black turned to her and scratched the back of his head.

"Heehee… are you ok, Prez?"

"I'm fine. Actually I'm feeling happy… for them. They finally found each other. It's a good movie, isn't it? Those who are destined for each other and willing to fight for the other receive the blessing from a golden Luvdisc. That's wonderful."

"Yeah…" Black said though he didn't think it was very wonderful. Actually it was really weird as the couple in the movie were still kissing and cuddling on the sand ignoring the fact that a lot of people were looking at them. But he was smart enough not to ruin the mood.

Suddenly Black realized that, if there was any chance to ask her about her problems, it should be now. She wasn't very cheerful but she wasn't sad either. In fact, she was being… emotional. He needed to take advantage of this. _But the question is, how do I start talking about it?_

"Ugh… Prez... Do you wanna play a game?" _Seriously… this is seriously the best thing I can think of?_

"Hm? A game?"

"Yeah… hm… uh… let's take turns to ask the other one question. Any questions. The only rule is, you have to answer honestly."

"What kind of stupid game is that?" White asked and she laughed. Black laughed too, but he tried to explain.

"Well, you did tell me that I need to start doing my research again, didn't you? It's just a chance that I can get to know more about you. And in return, you will know more about me, how does that sound?"

She took a few seconds to consider his offer. "Is there anything about you that I don't know yet?" She giggled.

"What? You really think you know everything about me? No, you don't."

"I doubt that."

"So are you playing or not? Is the famous _President_ afraid?" Black smirked. He thought she would accept if she was provoked.

"I'm not afraid of anything," she said with her nose in the air.

"So you're in?"

"Hmmm… ok. Don't ask anything stupid!"

"No, you can't change the rule. If I can ask stupid questions, you can too. It's fair."

"Jeez… whatever."

 _That was the first and easiest step,_ Black thought. Getting this far was successful though, and he needed to find out what was behind her strong reactions after all.

"Right. Lady first," he said.

"Actually I really don't know what to ask you. I told you that already. You go first, I will think while I answer."

"Fine. Let's start with an easy one." Black asked and he lowered his voice, "Do you like what we did together today?"

Just as he thought, White glared at him. "Wait, what's behind this whole thing?"

"Nothing, just a question."

"Arghhh, why did I get involved in this?" She facepalmed. "Yes. If I don't like it, I won't waste my precious time here with you, idiot." She flustered.

"Thanks, Prez. Much appreciated." Black smiled. "Your turn."

"Hmmmm… seriously I can't think of anything." She was still facepalming. "How about you keep asking, I will save my turn for later."

"Deal! Next, what are you afraid of most?"

White groaned through her fingers as she heard the question. "Argh, didn't I just tell you, I'm not afraid of anything."

"Liar."

"Well, there is one, but…"

She sighed and looked at the TV screen which was showing the movie credits. Black knew this question would hit her but he had to ask. "Come on, Prez. It's safe here. There's only me doing some research."

"So… is this the real purpose behind this game?" She paused and made a strained smile. "I know one day you will ask me this, and now you did."

"Prez, I'm sorry but I need to know. I just can't bear it when I see you suddenly become… sensitive about something. Did I ever say something bad, or did I do something wrong?"

"You must have observed me really well."

"Actually it's not that hard. As a friend I always want the best for you. I need to know what upsets you, so that I can beat the shit out of it." Black raised his fists and punched an invisible foe which made White laugh a little.

"Haha… ok Black, listen." She suddenly moved closer to him. "It's not your fault, and it's never yours. It's just me and my stupidity."

"No, you're not stupid. You're the smartest person I've ever seen in my whole life."

"Stop it," she quietly objected but she smiled again. "I am stupid. You know, for two years I kept telling myself that you would return. When you disappeared, I thought it was over. But something told me it wasn't. I tried to live with it for two years. I could barely sleep. Everytime I closed my eyes, I saw you with our agency's logo. It haunted me. And you did come back. It was worth waiting and hoping. But the problem is, I'm still afraid… of losing you again. I still can't sleep. I'm afraid that if I close my eyes, I would never see you again. If it happened, I don't think I could…"

"Prez, it won't happen again." Black lifted her chin and looked into her blue eyes. There he could see all the pains she had suffered, the bags from her lack of sleep, and also the efforts to hide all of them just to cheer him up. "I will be right here if you need me. Damn, what should I do to stop you from worrying?"

"You don't need to do anything, your words are enough for me." She looped her arm with his and leaned on him. Black cringed a little but he looked to his side and found her smiling. Finally, she got her chance to tell him the truth. Black really wanted to know whether she had told anyone about it but he didn't ask. It was not a thing that mattered at the moment. What mattered was, _This friendship is really turning into something else,_ Black thought _._

"If you say so." He smiled at her. "Now, will you ask me your two questions?"

"Hmmm… I wanna save more. You can go on."

"Jeez, you're abusing my rule." He groaned, but still he was ok with it. "Fine, then. This is not something I haven't asked you but… when will I be your employee again?"

There was a short silence between them as White seemed to be delaying the answer. She stayed quiet until Black asked,

"Prez?"

She was holding his arm tighter. "Is something wrong?" Black kept asking.

"You're no longer my employee," she said, her voice shaking.

"Wha… what?" His voice shook too. "What do you mean?"

"Remember when you asked me if you had paid off the debt?" She took a deep breath and sighed. "The answer is… yes, you did. There's no reason that I should keep you any longer."

"What… it doesn't have to…"

"Yes, it has to. You have your own dream and I know that. I can't just drag you along just because I… I want you to be by my side. I didn't want to tell you yet. I couldn't accept the fact that you're no longer with me."

Black tried to listen to the girl beside him but he didn't expect things to be like this. However, he felt a must to change her thinking about it.

"So… you want me to be by your side, that's honest?"

She didn't answer, _so it's a yes,_ Black thought.

"And you said you don't want to interfere with my dream?"

She just squeezed his arm much tighter.

"What if I tell you that my dream is not the same as what you used to know?"

She looked up a little to meet his eyes. She gazed at his brown eyes with a question mark written on her face.

"What do you mean?"

"What if I say my dream is to be with you every day no matter what happens?"

White gaped at him with surprise. She _pinched his arm_ to make sure she wasn't mishearing.

"OOOUCH, what was that for?" Black screamed.

"Black, are you serious? But you said you never liked showbiz."

"Well, I did say that. But that DOESN'T mean I dislike working for you. If what you just said is the real reason why you're keeping me home all the time, then I think I will accompany you to work tomorrow."

Her gape slowly turned into a lovely smile. But quickly she buried her face into his arm and… cried. This time, she was really crying. Black was horrified by her sudden change.

"Oy oy oy… what's wrong? Prez? What is happening? Tell me, why're you crying?" He tried to get an answer from her, but she was already teary.

"I'm just… so happy… Everything that… haunted me… in the last two years… was just… gone…" White said, sobbing. She looked at him in his eyes just to ask him again, "Everything… will be alright… from now on… right… Black? Please tell me..."

Black looked at her teary face, she never cried in front of him before. Black was always the louder guy, but it was her who was always the stronger person. She never showed her weak side to him, not one bit. Even in her worst fear, she still looked strong, just for him. Now, she was really crying. _She trusted him._

"Yeah… everything will be alright." Black slowly repeated her words. Her lips curled into a smile, but she cried again. Black didn't try to stop it this time. After all, it was necessary. She had been holding it for too long. Black told himself, _This will be the last time she has to cry because of me._ He sat still and said nothing while she was still hugging his arm tight.

Eventually she stopped crying. Maybe her eyes couldn't make any more tears but she also looked too tired to cry any longer. Black looked at the girl, her eyes' bags just got worse like a panda's eyes. But still they didn't stop him from thinking she was so lovely even when she was sad or angry. Black moved his sleeve to gently clean the last trace of tears on her eyes, and she whispered a thanks to him.

"Well, Prez… I think you need to rest before you can think of anything else. But before that, you still have 3 turns to play. Come on, ask me anything if it can make you feel better," Black softly said to her.

"Uhhhh… I don't have any serious questions for you. Just stupid ones…"

"I like stupid questions. Come on!"

White hesitated a little before she decided to ask him with her whispering voice which Black tried hard to hear though she was just next to him.

"Will you ever leave me?"

Black could feel her cheeks getting hot as they touched his arm (she was still holding his arm the whole time). He laughed a little and so did White. Black thought the question was really stupid but cute. He replied,

"No, I will never leave you as long as you still need me."

White giggled as she told him, "Please keep talking, Black. I love it. I want to hear more."

"But I just answered it. It's done already."

"I want more."

It was his turn to gape as she rubbed her cheeks against his arm. _What is this? Is this the usual Prez that I always know? The Prez that always tells me to keep things brief when talking to her but now she wants to hear more?_

"Ok," he sighed, "But I'm not good at literature… You know… when I was in the rock, sometimes I remembered things in the past and I asked myself… why, of both times we were separated from each other, one of the last things I said was asking about my debt… It's not that I wanted to be freed from you. I was just worried if I paid it off, you wouldn't keep me because I would no longer have any values. I enjoy being with you so much that when I'm not, I feel like something very important is missing… Yes, you are bossy sometimes _(pinched)_ OUCH… but I love it. As long as I'm with you, I never want to leave you.

 _Shit, is it a confession? Am I confessing to her just like in that movie,_ he thought. There was a long silence between them and Black wanted to shout out, _That's all! I'm done! Never ever ask me to do this again! I'm done!_

Finally it was White who broke the silence. She teased him with her mischievous voice earlier,

"Damn Black! I never know you're such a gentleman."

Black was blushing hotly but fortunately she didn't see it. He tried to keep his voice normal and said,

"That's why you also need to do some research about me! Next!"

"Black… could you… hug me when you're speaking?"

He froze as he heard what she said. His face turned red and his heart beat so fast. _This is getting weirder now, but to be honest… do I mind? Nah! She's the boss, I'm just doing what I am told._ He stretched his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. She happily rested her head on his chest.

"Ok. You have one last turn," Black said as if nothing weird just happened.

"No, it's not fair. It's not a question. I'm just… asking a favor." She tried to explain.

"Haha I'm just kidding. Now, what's next?"

White was playing with his t-shirt and she talked with her whispering voice again, but this time it was not hard to hear it,

"Am I dreaming, Black?"

He smiled at another silly questions that she just asked. But it was understandable that she couldn't forget so quickly after everything. Black whispered in her ear, "No, you're not dreaming. I'm real, and this is real too," he held her tighter, "Everything is real. See, no more distance. I'm with you."

She let go of his t-shirt and gladly returned his hug. It was like nothing could separate them now.

Last question…

"Do you like me, Black?"

No need to ask, the answer was definitely a yes. However Black found it difficult just to say yes, he needed to tell her what he felt right now.

"Actually… it's hard to tell…. Because I have never liked anyone before. How does one feel to 'like someone'? Is it true that he will want to spend all day with the other and protect the other with his life? Or he will want to accompany the other wherever she goes? Or he will want to make the other happy every day? Well, if what people say is true, I think I have all of those things. So, yes, I like you, Prez, and I really mean it. I have always liked you since the moment we first met in Nu… Prez, are you…?"

Black just saw her fast asleep with her head resting on his chest. Her hold of him was loosened and she was breathing steadily and softly. Once again, Black couldn't help but smile at this lovely scene. White looked so cute when she was sleeping. She must be feeling very tired now. But most importantly, she was, finally, able to sleep peacefully, with a small smile on her lips.

Black wasn't sure whether she had heard his final sentence, but it didn't matter any more. It would certainly be a yes from both of them and he knew that. He didn't need to ask again and he wanted to make sure she would sleep soundly in his arms. Black took the remote and turned off the TV, then he slightly adjusted his position on the couch so that he could stay as long as possible. He held her tighter so she wouldn't fall.

And Black looked at his boss, also his best friend for the last time before he closed his eyes. People said good things come to those who wait. He believed that no matter what happened, they would always be blessed for everything they had been through just for the other.

"Everything is fine now…" was his last thought before he joined her in their dreams together.

* * *

 _(Bonus)_

Everything was white. The sky was white, the field was full of white lilies, and she was White. She was wearing white, a white wedding dress. The only thing that wasn't white was him, because he was Black. He was wearing a black suit.

They were playing on the field before they stopped and lay down on the flowers. She held his face and kissed his cheek.

"Do you love me, Black?" she asked.

"I love you, Prez."

"Can you call me White for once?"

"Wh… Whi… Whi… uhhh... Whi... Whi-te."

"Good job," she giggled and clapped. "Now say the full sentence."

 _"_ _I love you… White."_

…

White knelt down next to Black and was about to wake him up before she heard what he mumbled in his sleep. She smiled and decided not to. She went to the kitchen and hummed a merry melody to herself.

 _\- THE END -_


End file.
